2008 Woodie Awards
The stage is set, the strike is over
Timothy Spath
Issue date: 2/21/08 Section: A & E
The clock counts down as America's favorite action hero chooses which wire to cut. Bombs are exploding, gunshots are ringing in his ears ruining his concentration. Red, cut the red one, no wait, green, yes right, cut the… cut to commercials.?
Last Tuesday, the bomb-like strike from Hollywood writers that almost leveled the scripted television scene of mainstream networks has finally been dismantled as writers and media companies came to an agreement. ?
Over the past three months, Hollywood's scripted television programs have been devastated by the Writer's Guild of America strike. Arguing for higher salaries and benefits from "new media," including internet-streamed shows, writers picketed outside of their major broadcasting companies until an agreement was struck.?
For much of non-scripted television, including reality-based shows, sports broadcasting, and game shows, the ground on which they produce their entertainment has not been rattled too hard, but ratings and the disappearance of entire seasons from their neighboring programs is a wakeup call.
?"One program I teach that has been affected is '24.' My understanding is that FOX is going to scrap this season because it has lost its momentum," said chair of the Media Studies department Dr. James Castonguay.
"So a show like '24' that has weekly cliff hangers in which lots of the story carries over from week-to-week got hit really hard by the strike."?
Other shows such as "Friday Night Lights," "The Office," and as many as eight other prime-time programs will bring their production to a standstill according to "Economist" magazine
?While many of major broadcasting stations are putting their prime-time slots onto the chopping block and feeding rerun after rerun to complacent viewers, Disney's hit show "Lost" maintains bragging rights. The show had finished eight new scripts before the strike began, and six brand-new shows.
Although major producers are reporting a drop in viewer ratings since the beginning of the strike, some TV-goers are still looking for a fresh start.?
Last Tuesday, the bomb-like strike from Hollywood writers that almost leveled the scripted television scene of mainstream networks has finally been dismantled as writers and media companies came to an agreement. ?
Over the past three months, Hollywood's scripted television programs have been devastated by the Writer's Guild of America strike. Arguing for higher salaries and benefits from "new media," including internet-streamed shows, writers picketed outside of their major broadcasting companies until an agreement was struck.?
For much of non-scripted television, including reality-based shows, sports broadcasting, and game shows, the ground on which they produce their entertainment has not been rattled too hard, but ratings and the disappearance of entire seasons from their neighboring programs is a wakeup call.
?"One program I teach that has been affected is '24.' My understanding is that FOX is going to scrap this season because it has lost its momentum," said chair of the Media Studies department Dr. James Castonguay.
"So a show like '24' that has weekly cliff hangers in which lots of the story carries over from week-to-week got hit really hard by the strike."?
Other shows such as "Friday Night Lights," "The Office," and as many as eight other prime-time programs will bring their production to a standstill according to "Economist" magazine
?While many of major broadcasting stations are putting their prime-time slots onto the chopping block and feeding rerun after rerun to complacent viewers, Disney's hit show "Lost" maintains bragging rights. The show had finished eight new scripts before the strike began, and six brand-new shows.
Although major producers are reporting a drop in viewer ratings since the beginning of the strike, some TV-goers are still looking for a fresh start.?
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